The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has commended the repealing of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
ZUJ secretary-general Foster Dongozi said the scrapping of AIPPA came after wide consultations with all media stakeholders and everything was done openly. Dongozi said:
The process of scrapping AIPPA was done after wide consultation with all media stakeholders including media unions, media rights groups, civic society groups and media experts, among others.
The process of consultations was done fairly and the debates were very robust.
AIPPA was scrapped and replaced with the new Freedom of Information Act that became law on Wednesday after approval by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The new law states that all information held by public institutions, including State-owned companies, can potentially be made public, with the exception of Cabinet discussions and certain information in victim-friendly courts.
However, defence and national security information, plus certain financial matters like proposed taxes in the pipeline, secret industrial processes, diplomatic matters, and some personal details of individuals can be withheld.